The gig economy and the future of work (with Farhaj Mayan, CEO of Kanna)

1. “Marketplaces need to help blend education with the future of work.” @Farhajmayan #DTCPOD
2. “Invest in niche workers that help you upscale.” @Farhajmayan #DTCPOD
3. “There is so much untapped potential in niche-focused vertical marketing networks.” @Farhajmayan #DTCPOD
4. “We shifted away from the entire staffing model to a true enterprise model.” @Farhajmayan #DTCPOD
5. “Good people doing great work and making our customers happy is building the reputation of our company, as with any marketplace.” @Farhajmayan #DTCPOD

We speak about:

• [00:45] About Kanna
• [02:15] What inspired Farhaj to come up with the idea of Kanna
• [05:40] During COVID, employers are more open to hiring freelancers/contractors
• [09:25] The importance of investing in niche workers and the gig economy
• [14:05] How the independent freelancer/contractor system is broken
• [19:25] Upscaling as a service
• [21:30] Cool trends in the future of work

The future of work is here and it’s being led by the gig economy

In this episode, we spoke with Co-Founder and CEO of Kanna, Farhaj to discuss Kanna and the gig/creator economy.

Kanna is a passionate team of creatives, hackers, and crazies focused on changing the future of cannabis work.

The coolest product they are bringing to launch is a direct-to-consumer education platform called Kanna University. New and existing workers can hop on and get certified. They also get to learn the tools of the trade before they get their new job.

Farhaj says he stumbled into Kanna. While working at a legal cannabis farm in Oklahoma, Farhaj realized that turnover in the cannabis industry was high.

They needed a way to simplify the process of paying workers in the cannabis industry. So, Farhaj started to mess around with the idea of building the future of work in cannabis and give a lot of upward mobility for people who want to start for the first time.

With COVID hitting at full force, cannabis sales started to skyrocket. Farms needed to hire more workers for their labor-intensive tasks – Kanna saved the day!

Freelancers and independent contractors can provide valuable efficiencies for businesses

Cannabis isn’t the only industry looking for workers in the virtual space. People are now more open to remote work, and employers are more open to hiring more freelancers and contractors.

With the world shifting toward digital interactions, people are leaning more into the gig economy to build their businesses and brands.

For Trend, we are now seeing a shift where brands are able to develop better content than they would be able to do on their own by using a creator.

There are opportunities for businesses to invest in niche workers that help them upscale.

For freelancers and contractors, this also allows them to increase their total billable unit per hour. At both Trend and Kanna, we are seeing a shift to not only add structure to the gig/creator economy but to also help educate these workers and help them improve.

Stay tuned as Farhaj speaks about how the freelancer and independent contractor system is broken, how marketplaces can help, and the future of work.

Website: https://www.hirekanna.com/about

Farhaj on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhajmayan/

Farhaj on Twitter: https://twitter.com/farhajmayan

Email Farhaj: farhaj@hirekanna.com

Mentioned links:

I Am the C.E.O. of Uber. Gig Workers Deserve Better.

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